Chapter 139 : A Roar When Seeing Injustice

As Su Xieqiu approached Aunt Aihua’s house, she heard a boy crying in the yard next door.  

“Don’t hit my mother and sister! If you want to hit someone, hit me instead!”  

Curious, Su Xieqiu glanced into the yard and saw a burly man brutally beating a woman.  

His large fists landed relentlessly on her head and back, as though he bore a deep grudge against her. Despite the violence, the woman clung tightly to a little girl in her arms, shielding her from the blows.  

Nearby, a thin boy cried and tried desperately to pull the man away, while a two- or three-year-old boy sat on the ground, wailing.  

Normally, Su Xieqiu avoided getting involved in others’ family matters, but she couldn’t stand by this time.  

“Stop it!” she shouted, running into the yard.  

She grabbed the burly man with the boy’s help and used all her strength to pull him away from the woman.  

Han Dejiang, furious at being interrupted, glared at her and snarled, “You’re asking for trouble!”  

Taking a few cautious steps back, Su Xieqiu stood her ground and retorted, hands on her hips, “You call yourself a man? If you’re so tough, why don’t you show it outside instead of beating up your own wife and kids?”  

Han Dejiang’s face twisted with anger. “These are my wife and kids! I can do what I want with them. Who are you to interfere? Are you tired of living?”  

Unfazed, Su Xieqiu mimicked his aggressive stance, glaring back at him. “What, you want to hit me too? Let me tell you, I’m not part of your family. If you dare lay a finger on me, my husband Han Zhenyu won’t let you off easy! I’ll also report you to the Women’s Federation for abusing women and children. This is a new society, we don’t tolerate your kind anymore!”  

Han Dejiang was livid but held back. He knew Han Zhenyu’s reputation and didn’t dare escalate further.  

As their argument grew louder, neighbors began gathering, including Aunt Qiuye and Aunt Aihua.  

They found Wang Shulian and her daughter Xinghua lying on the ground, battered and bruised, and immediately chastised Han Dejiang.  

An elderly woman, Dejiang’s second aunt, scolded him angrily. “Shulian bore you three children and works herself to the bone both at home and outside, earning more work points than you! How can you treat such a hardworking wife like this? Have you no conscience?”  

Embarrassed to be berated in front of the neighbors, Han Dejiang reluctantly backed down. He kicked the woman on the ground lightly and barked, “You worthless woman! Get up and make dinner. Do you want me to starve?”  

He then forced a smile at the crowd. “Nothing to see here. We were just joking around. Everyone’s busy, so go back to your own business.”  

The neighbors exchanged disdainful glances, clearly unimpressed by his excuses.  

Before leaving, Aunt Qiuye’s husband gave him a parting remark. “Dejiang, your children are old enough to see what you’re doing. If you keep this up, how do you expect them to respect you in the future?”  

Han Dejiang’s face turned crimson with shame, but by the time he gathered a retort, the man had already walked away.  

Frustrated, he glared at his children before storming into the main room.  

Seeing the situation had calmed, Su Xieqiu took Chenchen and An An by the hand and followed Aunt Qiuye and Aunt Aihua out.  

“Zhenyu’s wife, what were you doing at their house?” Aunt Qiuye asked as they walked away.  

“I came to visit you and Aunt Aihua,” Su Xieqiu replied with a smile.

Su Xieqiu glanced back at the yard and sighed. “I just happened to see that brute beating his wife as I passed by. I couldn’t stand it and went in to stop him.”  

Then she added angrily, “Who would have thought that beast wouldn’t appreciate it and even cursed at me!”  

Aunt Qiuye leaned in and whispered, “Don’t let it upset you. He’s not a good person. It’s not worth getting angry over someone like him.”  

Aunt Aihua chimed in, “Poor Shulian. She’s so capable and virtuous, it’s such a shame she ended up in that family.”  

“Exactly,” Aunt Qiuye agreed with a sigh. Then she turned to Su Xieqiu and said, “Zhenyu’s wife, let’s go back to my house and chat there.”  

Turning to Aunt Aihua, she added, “Your two daughters-in-law are here, so you don’t need to cook. Come to my house and relax for a while.”  

Aunt Aihua smiled and nodded in agreement.  

Noticing people milling around in small groups on the street, Su Xieqiu thought it was better to have their conversation in private, so she followed them.  

When they arrived at Aunt Qiuye’s house, they noticed a woman nearby glancing at them furtively.  

Curious, Su Xieqiu took a closer look. The woman had an average face but a curvaceous figure, the kind that typically attracted men’s attention.  

Aunt Aihua spat out a dismissive “Pooh,” and the woman quickly turned and went back into her yard.  

Thinking it might be a personal grudge between Aunt Aihua and the woman, Su Xieqiu didn’t dwell on it.  

Inside Aunt Qiuye’s home, her daughter-in-law was busy in the kitchen. She greeted them warmly, “Aunt Aihua, Su Xieqiu, why don’t you stay for lunch later?”  

Smiling, Su Xieqiu replied, “Thank you, sister, but we’ve already eaten.”  

The daughter-in-law, while picking vegetables, looked surprised. “So early? You must have eaten breakfast, not lunch!”  

Laughing, Su Xieqiu joked, “I’ve had no work these past two days, so I’ve been eating earlier out of sheer boredom.”  

The others laughed along with her.  

She took off the basket from her back and pulled out several of An An’s clothes.  

“Aunt Qiuye, Aunt Aihua, these are some of my daughter An An’s clothes from last year. They’re too small for her now. If you don’t mind, perhaps your grandchildren could use them.”  

She didn’t mention the help they had offered her previously, trusting that the two sharp women would understand her intentions.  

The two aunts looked at the clothes, which were in excellent condition and barely worn. Though tempted, they hesitated to accept them.  

Aunt Qiuye said, “Zhenyu’s wife, these clothes are so nice, and there isn’t even a patch on them. You could easily alter the sleeves and let An An wear them another year.”  

“That’s right. We can’t take such fine clothes. Please take them back,” Aunt Aihua added.  

“My dear aunts, please don’t be so polite. I brought these over with the best intentions,” Su Xieqiu said, gently pushing the clothes into their hands. She added jokingly, “If you really don’t want them, I might take offense and leave with them!”  

“Oh, how could we possibly dislike such beautiful clothes? We’d be thrilled to have them,” Aunt Qiuye said, laughing.  

Hearing that, the two women finally accepted the clothes with a smile.  

Initially, Su Xieqiu planned to head home, but seeing how much fun Chenchen was having playing with Aunt Qiuye’s grandson, she decided to stay a while longer.  

The three women sat in the main room, chatting, and naturally, the topic turned to Han Dejiang’s family.